My husband, children and I own and operate our 4th generation family ranch in northern Arizona. We take great pride in the well-being and quality care of our livestock. We follow best management practices consistent with the veterinarian-endorsed Beef Quality Assurance Program, including training and certification to provide the best care for our cattle. It is just the right thing to do. We have a responsibility to the consumer, to God, and to each other to be stewards of our animals and, therefore, work daily to keep them safe, healthy and secure.

When the Common Core State Standards were being drafted, many Arizona teachers provided input and feedback which were incorporated into the actual standards that were adopted by 45 states. I know because I was one of them, working alongside other Arizona educators, ultimately helping our state to leave a footprint on the standards themselves.

Most Arizonans know that our water supply is low. We face this challenge, along with climate extremes, political and policy relationships with other states and the federal government over water, as well as the need to balance our state’s natural wonders with effective resource use.

As the chairman of the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System’s Board of Trustees — and as a Phoenix firefighter since 1983 — I’ve watched closely for years as politicians and pundits have “debated” the health of PSPRS and the state’s public worker retirement system.

I’ve been implementing Arizona’s College and Career Ready standards for three years in my fifth grade classroom. But I’m going to let you in on a secret: it hasn’t changed my teaching very much. In fact, the standards finally caught up with what many good educators have been trying to do for a long time –move away from rote memorization and isolated skills and return to creativity and in-depth learning in the classroom.

As an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church, I was very troubled by SB1062, the so-called “religious freedom bill,” and much of the rhetoric surrounding it. While many argued that this bill would have strengthened religious, particularly Christian “freedoms,” I believe it sought to do the exact opposite — it would have used religion as a license to discriminate against anyone of one’s choosing.

Arizonans must reclaim sovereignty over our children’s education. SB1310, which would prohibit the implementation of the Common Core standards and test in Arizona, is a good start. Governor Brewer willingly handed over control of our state’s education to the Common Core group for 30 pieces of silver offered by the Obama Administration in exchange for changing our state’s education policies in 2010.